Kenlake State Resort Park and then on to the Rally

We spent the night at Kenlake State Resort Park in Hardin, KY.    Kenlake is 10-15 min away from Murray, KY home to Murray State University and the closest Walmart.  

This is really nice state park.  There is a lodge, cabins, restaurant, activities and the campground.  The campground is not really close to the lodge but is not too far (easy bike ride) to several small restaurants in Aurora.  One of the things we saw as we drove around the park was some interesting artwork.  The photo is from one overlooking the lake near the tennis facility.

We got to the campground and down came the deluge.  A huge rain and I got soaked getting our electricity plugged in and some water added to the tank.   I would have tried to wait it out, but being the rusty campers we have become we let the water tank run dry and need to be able to flush.  So into the rain I went.

We were at site 80.  Note to others the sites share electricity and water so bring a long electrical cord if in an even site or a long hose in an odd site.  The 25' attached cord had to be stretched under the fuse but barely made it.  Another foot over and it would not have. 

The bath house was across from our site.  It was about par for a state park.  Clean, plenty of hot water and good water pressure in the showers.  It was a nice place to stay for the night.

Thursday started off as a rainy day.   So rainy in fact that I got soaked again unhooking the electricity at the campsite.    Though we had a couple of stops planned between Kenlake State Park and the rally site at Whittington Woods Campground , we decided that staying dry was a better plan so we just took the drive.   It really was not a long one.  We left at 10:00 and made it to Benton, Il by Noon.

Our first stop was at Arbys for lunch.  I can report that there was nice parking at the rear for your Fuse and after a large Roast Beef and a Gyro (both pretty good) we were ready to get a few more supplies for a couple of days at the rally.  So we stopped at the Walmart.  Apparently we were noticed, but we missed the other Fuse in the parking lot since the report at the campground was that two Fuses were at the Walmart.  I guess I am getting old.

A 5 minute drive down the interstate and we were at our home for the next couple of days.  And waiting for us were Deb and Lee to welcome us to the Rally.

Ft. Donaldson

 The third day of our trip was to visit Ft. Donaldson Battlefield. We are still knocking the rust off of Fuseing/RVing/Camping/Traveling so for this third day we decided to take it easy.  Up and at'em and we got on the road at 0900.  

Well as we say in Florida, TN was an "oasis of freedom" and the McDonalds right down the road was open so we got our favorite breakfast.  Meaning we were off to a good start. Unlike the first 2 days we had some rain in our travels.  Not bad and the Fuse took it fine.  It did cut into Lily's sniffing and walking but she is still exhausted from yesterday.  She is out of practice as well.

Ft. Donaldson was about an hour down the road.  A nice drive and then we got to the park.  Well the visitors center is being renovated so they have a temporary setup in the parking lot.  A little disappointing but I did get the park stamps.   The real treat at the battlefields is the battlefield tour.  This was a pretty good one.  It took an hour or two.  Lots to see and lots to learn.

Several things stood out.  One was a cabin reconstruction that the soldiers wintered over in.  There was some construction there as well.  Carpenter bees were all over it eating it away.   100 or more of them.  There was even a danger sign warning people about the bees and their activity.  We had an old barn that suffered from the Bee problem but I have never seen that many of them on one spot.

The other thing that stood out, not that the battlements were not impressive was the surrender house.  It has been restored and is super impressive.  The house was a hotel catering to river boats back in the day and the bar looks like it is just waiting for someone to stop in and order a drink.  Sometimes you see something that allows you to envision how things were back in the days and this house allowed me to see back into time.

So from there we went on to our night stop at Kenlake State resort park.  But first we needed to make a Walmart stop and get some fuel.  So we found a town nearby by the name of Murray.   Famous for Murray State University and guess what.  The stadium and college were right next to the Walmart.  

Then off to our stop for the night about 15 min down the road.

Parkers Crossroads RV Park and Campground

We stayed at the Parkers Crossroads RV Park and Campground on our trip to the Fuse Rally.  Tuesday, April 27, 2021.   It is a very pretty campground and conveniently located near I-40.  Ponds, pool, and it looks very well kept up.   TV and WiFi internet worked very well during our stay.  Plenty of grass for Lily to smell and walk around.

The site we had was a nice, level concrete pad.  Out site was #32.  The Check-in, camp store and showers were up  at the front of the campground but everything is pretty close together.

I would say that this is one of the cleanest Parks we have stayed at.  One downside is the showers need some help.   This is an A+ park other than that.  But now for the pro-tip.  The family bathroom/shower is an A+ bathroom so if it is not in use, use that one.

Shiloh and Corinth

The second day of our trip went great with a couple of small issues but overall a 9 out of 10.  The goal today was to see the Corinth and Shiloh civil war battlefields and see them we did.  

We stayed the night at the Campground at Barnes Crossings  in Tupelo MS.  We have stayed here before and will stay here again.   Fuse tip for those not towing:  Ask for site 1-3.  They are near the bathhouse and your fuse will fit just fine.  We stayed in that site the last time.  This time we were in site 53.  It is in the back and there was nothing wrong with it.  It is designed for a large class A towing a large vehicle.  We were super small on a large site.  You could have parked 3 Fuses on that site.  One other thing about the campground was that they do not take credit cards.

Barnes Crossings is a real nice place.  Walmart, food, shopping, pretty much everything less than 5 min away from the campground.  Importantly, the campground feels like it is out in the woods being very quiet and wooded.

Now on to two bad things this morning.  The check engine light came on the night before so I started looking to see if I could see something wrong.  I used the OBD scanner and some errors implying DEF problems but advise that it was not a huge problem.  I decided to drive down the road and see what happened with that info.  Worst case we would pull into the Ford dealer in Corinth and get help there.   Well when we stopped in Corinth, and started back up the light was out.  Maybe the bumpy roads in Mississippi are good for something after all.

Second problem was all of the fast food restaurants in that part of Mississippi were closed to walk in dining.  The Taco bell last night, The Burger King we tried this morning and the McDonalds on the way to Corinth all were only doing drive through.  Not a major disaster but no Bacon, Egg and Cheese Biscuit this morning, just the regular old granola bar.

So we went on to the Corinth Civil War Interpretive Center.   This as about an hour drive. This was a really nice museum, several nice films and really worth the stop.    And lots of sniffing for Lily.

After Corinth we went to the Shiloh Civil War Battlefield. 30 minutes down the road and it was a really easy drive through the country.  Shiloh had a nice museum, not quite as big as Corinth but what it did have was a really nice self guided, driving tour of the battlefield.   So we toured the museum and then took some time out for a nice picnic lunch in the Fuse.  Could not beat the weather and we parked under some shade, opened up the windows and took some time out.

So then we took the driving tour.  22 locations to see with nice pullouts.  Perfect for the Fuse.  Famous places such as the hornets nest and the peach orchard were on the my list but other less famous places that were keys to the battle.  We even got to see a barge going down the Tennessee River from just above Pittsburg Landing.

After Touring we went on to Parkers Crossroads.  There was a battle here as well but the visitors center here was pretty small.  Took 15-20 min to see everything but worth seeing since we were staying 5 min away at the Parkers Crossroads RV Park and Campground.   

Take this COVID

We are back on the road again.  Take this COVID.   After getting our shots and waiting several weeks we are able to get back on the trail.   The last time we were out was December of 2020, roughly 16 months ago.   This is the first time I have left town since February of 2020 in any way.

Where are we off to you may ask?  To the Spring 2021 Fuse Rally of course.  But before we get to that, what have we been doing with the Fuse?  Well the only thing we have done with the Fuse was to run it up and down the road every month or go so this is a real test.  Not sure what will be working or not since it has been mostly idle for a year.  You know the saying, if not being used, it is rotting away and we have had it sitting more than 16 months.

We washed it a couple of times, ran it monthly, but not any camping or fun.   Other than weak batteries, there were no issues until a month ago.  And that one was a doozy.  The awning opened as I pulled out of the driveway.  I pulled over a quarter mile down the road and had a mess.  How it broke, I have no idea.  But I will post on this fun later.  Right now we are the Fuse without an awning.

So to get ready I brought the Fuse to the Ford dealer and had the oil changed, the fuel filter changed and the batteries changed.  Even though I was running the Fuse, the batteries were not holding a change very well and had died during the summer.  They would take a charge but just did not turn over the engine well so I had the Ford folks replace them for peace of mind.  Replaced a rear break light,  I think this is the 3rd time I have done this.  Check the Ford maintenance off the list.

We got everything inside and out cleaned up and are ready to get on the road, so off we went.   

Our first leg was from Tallahassee to Tupelo MS.  We started down the road at 8:30 and got to our destination at 5:30.  A full day on the road.   Stops in Dothan, AL for fuel, Troy, AL for Lunch, a stop outside of Birmingham at a Rest Area,  and then a fuel stop just before Tupelo, MS to fill up before we stopped for the night.  Here is the proof we are on the road, our fuse at the Troy Walmart.

Everything went well until we stopped to get dinner.  We stopped down the road from the campground and got out to pick up some Taco Bell (probably the first problem) but when we started back up I got a check engine light.   Oh well, we will figure that out in the morning.  DEF level looks good but last time it looked good and still needed DEF. Maybe a loose wire from the filter changes.  We will figure it out or bring it to the local Ford place.  We have plenty of time this trip so we will see.